Treatment for peptic ulcer disease usually requires killing the Helicobacter pylori bacteria in the stomach. This is accomplished by taking a combination of antibiotics and acid-blocking drugs. The antibiotics must be taken for 14 days. The acid-blocking medication is usually taken for at least 4 weeks. Your doctor will determine which of the following combinations is best for you.

One of the following antibiotic combination options:

• 14 days of clarithromycin (Biaxin) and amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox)
• 14 days of metronidazole (Flagyl) and amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox)
• 14 days of metronidazole (Flagyl) and tetracycline (Sumycin)

One of the following acid-blocking medication options:

• H2-blocker medications:
• Ranitidine (Zantac)
• Cimetidine (Tagamet)
• Famotidine (Pepcid)
• Nizatidine (Axid)
• Proton pump inhibitor medications:
• Omeprazole (Prilosec)
• Pantoprazole (Protonix)
• Esomeprazole (Nexium)
• Lansoprazole (Prevacid)
• Rabeprazole (Aciphex)
• Bismuth subsalicylate
• Pepto-Bismol

The most commonly prescribed combination of medication used to treat peptic ulcer disease includes:

• Amoxicillin + clarithromycin + proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole)

If one of the above treatment combinations fails, quadruple drug therapy may be used to treat peptic ulcer disease:

• Bismuth subsalicylate + proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole) + metronidazole + tetracycline